One of the parameters which is often of interest to a patient is his pulse rate. However, accurate measurement of pulse rate is often complicated by a number of factors such as arrhythmias and artifacts. For example, the erroneous detection of spurious pulses can result in a pulse rate which is erroneously high. Conversely, the failure to detect a valid pulse can lead to a pulse rate measurement which is erroneously low.
Most prior pulse rate detection systems provide an indication of pulse rate which is simply an average of pulses measured over a predetermined time interval. Such systems, therefore, tend to incorporate the above-mentioned errors into the pulse rate measurement, rather than to provide an effective means for eliminating the false data. The pulse measurement system of the present invention, described in greater detail below, provides an effective means for minimizing the effect of such errors.